Dead Man’s Cell Phone, by Sarah Ruhl, is a quirky magical play. It begins earth-bound at a coffee house and manages to fly off to different locales, even Heaven. Each place is rendered in an abbreviated setting, wherein suggestions of place undermine any attempt to see this play realistically. But much of the play’s quirkiness and magic resides in Ruhl’s use of language and in the oddity of her characters.

Ruhl puts into her characters’ mouths some wonderful phrases and statements: “Road kill of the mind” is used to describe unnecessary concerns, irrelevancies. Steak rib-eye is “Ribbons of flesh. Ribbons of fat.  All in one bite.”  How about this: “I think heaven must be like an embossed invitation”? Or “The only communication device God didn’t invent was gossip.” I’m sure viewers and readers will find their own examples of Ruhl’s  language play.

The premise is quite simple. Jean is a plain woman who has little going on in her life. She sits in a café one day reading. Gordon sits nearby and, annoyingly to Jean, doesn’t answer his ringing cell phone. Jean asks him to, but he doesn’t respond. She discovers that he is dead, and then his phone rings again. Jean answers it and continues answering it, receiving calls from Gordon’s mother, his wife, his mistress and his business acquaintances.

And each call creates a series of accidents that lead Jean through a maze, ultimately, of her own making. For Jean is an improviser, but always for the good of those around her. The play is by turns serious and silly. Gordon’s death is never really a serious matter, but that doesn’t stop Jean from making the easy joke: “No, he can’t come to the phone right now.”

The quirkiness of the characters may be seen in Jean’s lack of a background or friends or family. Everything we know of her is made up by her in front of us. And Gordon’s family, for example, is a bit weird: Gordon’s mother, Mrs. Gottlieb, is an out-of-control, meat-eating manic-depressive . . . perhaps; Hermia, his widow, greets his death without emotion until Jean lies about Gordon’s affection; his brother, Dwight, laments that he was so named because his mother felt sorry for the name Dwight.

Their quirkiness gives each of the characters a magical moment. By ‘magical’ I mean in the way that  poetic justice is magical or in the way that a miracle is wholesome and appropriate. Jean’s moments are multiple and constant—her magic is in healing the unhappy soul. Jean’s magic leads to the magical moments of the others, when each learns in essence what it is that they love. In Dwight’s case, it is a wonderful discovery.

Ruhl’s language also has its charms. The opening scene establishes that this drama is fun and playful. Other scenes enhance that impression. Here, Mother explains her self:

“We’re not religious. Our name means God-loving in German but we’re not German anymore. Hermia chose a Catholic Mass for Gordon because she likes to kneel and get up. I did not raise my children with any religion. Perhaps I should have. Certain brands of guilt can be inculcated in a secular way but other brands of guilt can only be obtained with reference to the metaphysical. Gordon did not experience enough guilt. Dinner will be served at seven. Do you eat meat?”

The ironies in this speech are delightful: The obvious God-loving-atheists joke is followed by gentle expressions of Mrs. Gottlieb’s peculiar personality. She feels guilty about not making Gordon feel guilty. That his funeral is a Catholic Mass is explained by the fact that Hermia “likes to kneel and get up.” Those words then are followed by “I did not raise my children . . ..” The quick return to everyday life also has an ironic effect. After  metaphysical, Mrs. Gottlieb’s final words here stand out in some relief: “Dinner will be served at seven. Do you eat meat?”

All in all, the play is a delightfully strange mix. What it means in the end—what it tells us about being human—is rather understated. Perhaps the best way of putting it is that we live and die according to our own desires even when someone else gets the last bowl of lobster bisque.


Lisa Cantwell (Director) is an instructor here at NEIU in the Department of Communication, Media and Theatre, where she recently completed her Master's degree. Directing Sarah Ruhl's beautifully written and poignant play Dead Man's Cell Phone has been a dream come true for her. Lisa wants the supremely talented cast to know what a privilege it has been to watch them bring these characters to life each day.  Her sincere appreciation goes out to the fantastic crew for all of their hard work. She would also like to express her deepest gratitude to the exquisite Anna for her wisdom each step of the way, both on and off the stage. Thanks and thanks and thanks to Jessica, John and Jana for their brilliant creativity and tireless dedication to this project. And to Monkey, the best son ever, and to B, Z. Okay, someone pinch me now.

Jessica Kuehnau (Costume Designer) is pleased to be designing her third season for the Stage Center Theatre and third year as technical faculty for NEIU.  Since completing her M.F.A. in Scenic and Costume Design at Northwestern University, Ms. Kuehnau has been designing sets and costumes for such notable theatres as Pegasus Players, Circle Theatre, Griffin, Lifeline Theatre, MPAACT, Adventure Stage Chicago, Metropolis Performing Art Center and Backstage Theatre.  She is also the resident set designer at North Park University and a founding ensemble member of Adventure Stage Center Chicago

John Rodriguez (Lighting Designer) joined the theatre faculty at NEIU six years ago and has been teaching courses in technical theatre as well as working as a designer on Stage Center Theatre productions.  Most recent designs include Lucky Stiff, An Inspector Calls, Arms and the Man, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lettice and Lovage, The Illusion, Electra, and Charley’s Aunt as well as Thymely Theatre’s productions of Taking Steps and Stage Door.

Jana Anderson (Costume Designer) has worked with the Stage Center Theatre for the last few years  Her work has also been featured by numerous theatre groups including Redmoon Theatre, Light Opera Works, Irish Repertory Theatre, just to name a few  Prior to coming to the United States, Jana created elaborate costumes for classical opera productions at the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia  When she is not preparing costumes for theatre productions, Jana is busy designing and creating unique haute couture fashions for individual clients in the US and Europe

Elisabeth Jackson (Stage Manager) is proud to be making her NEIU Stage Center Stage Managing debut with this wonderful cast, crew and director! She is currently working on her Communications, Media and Theatre degree at NEIU and looks forward to graduating in the Spring of 2011. Other experiences that she has had in the theatre include acting, dancing, choreography and assistant directing of shows. She has also worked with children in Glen Ellyn at Curtain Up Classroom teaching theatre classes, which is what she will be pursuing after graduation. Thanks to all her friends and family that have supported her in this passion! 

Roula Villis (Assistant Stage Manager) is very excited to be assistant stage manager of her first show at the Stage Center. She recently appeared at the Stage Center Theatre in Totally Red and A Tale of Two Cities. She would like to thank the talented director Lisa, cast, crew and the Communication, Media, and Theatre department for giving her another great learning experience.